Pooja Venkatachalam Kumar For Telugu, a South Indian language, spoken by more than 80 million people, native type designers are strikingly few, and script-specific pedagogy remains underdeveloped. Students interested in type design face systemic barriers: Latin-centric software, lack of curriculum, and limited awareness of type’s cultural value. This has created a cycle of low visibility and low interest in Telugu type design, despite its rich visual heritage.
In this talk, I propose creative coding as a democratizing pathway for type design education in India. By using open-source tools such as p5.js, and processing, students can experiment with proportions, rhythm, conjunct forms, and modular systems without the financial burden of proprietary software. Coding becomes a “homescreen classroom”, a space where local scripts like Telugu can be explored on equal footing with Latin.
My practice draws on lessons from working with Ellen Lupton, whose design pedagogy emphasized inclusivity, and will be deepened through my upcoming studies at Type@Cooper Extended. At the University of Arizona, I teach students from diverse indigenous and underrepresented backgrounds, many of whom are deeply interested in type design as a way to represent cultural identity. Their perspectives remind me that the accessibility issues facing Telugu type design are not isolated to India—they mirror challenges faced by students in the U.S, who want to see their own languages and traditions reflected in design education.
Learning Outcomes
Understand systemic barriers to Telugu type design education.
Learn how creative coding can transform type pedagogy into a tool of belonging.
Recognize how inclusivity frameworks can translate across geographies and scripts.
Explore ways Indian classrooms can inform U.S. type design education, highlighting parallels with indigenous and underrepresented student communities.
Audience Takeaways
Participants will see how digital belonging can be designed into education itself, ensuring that scripts like Telugu, and the students who carry them can find a place on the global homescreen of typography.
